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back to work-express?!

Aahh the daunting time has come-my maternity leave is coming to an end and i need to find alternative ways of feeding my LO whilst I'm away. 6 weeks left- how sad!!!

If anyone can give me advice that would be greatly appreciated!

I was thinking of stock piling some of my milk (express and freeze). How often should i express? once a day? when should i start stock piling? now?

Then there's the dreaded bottle!!!! When would be a good time to introduce it...How long would it take for him to get used to it? I'm already suffering from breast LO separation anxiety just thinking of giving a bottle! and so scared that when i start he'll prefer that to me!!!

Re: back to work-express?!

This is a hard transition for most moms, but in most cases it goes smoothly!

How old is your baby? Having a freezer stash can be very helpful and it is generally easier to build a freezer stash in the early months of nursing.

Are you going to be able to pump at work? It is recommended to pump every three hours or so. Pump when your baby is fed a bottle, if you can. It is easiest if you can just bring the fresh milk home with you at the end of the day, and put it in bottles for your baby to drink the following day. No freezing necessary!

All babies are different when it comes to a bottle. Some babies will take a bottle from anyone (including mom) and not be picky about the type of bottle. Always start with the slowest nipple available. It is more similar to breast feeding. Sometimes if you choose a nipple that is too fast, either the baby will "choke" on milk, or the baby will become more accustomed to taking milk faster and may learn to prefer the bottle over the breast.

Re: back to work-express?!

I agree with PP, just a couple more things: Pumping once a day while you are still at home with baby is usually plenty to build up your freezer stash. Pumping more often than that can lead to oversupply. Especially if you have 6 weeks left, you should have plenty of time. The best time to pump is in the morning, when you have the most milk. You only need enough milk to cover the first day, after that you'll be pumping each day for the next day. You need 1 - 1.5 ounces/hour apart. So if you'll be apart for 10 hours, for example, you'd need max 15 ounces. Even if you only pump one ounce per day (which is common when moms first start pumping, especially since they are pumping in addition to full-time nursing), you can have enough after two weeks. Or if you find yourself pumping 1/2 ounce, it will take you four weeks.
Generally it is safe to introduce the bottle, without risk of nipple confusion, once breastfeeding is well-established after 4 to 6 weeks. You also don't want to wait TOO long as then you can have the risk of bottle refusal. I've started my babies out at 4-6 weeks, offering the bottle once a day or once every couple days so that they get used to it.
The transition back to work is hard but it's definitely worth it to try to maintain your breastfeeding relationship!

Re: back to work-express?!

LO is 10weeks old....have i waited too long?! should i start with a bottle immediately?

As for pumping at work...I'm a medical representative so I'm on the road whole day. Hoping to pump yes,but Will be rather awkward in the car. I've seen those cooler bags to stores the milk in....Will that be sufficient if I'm on the road? and then to just pop whatever i pumped into the fridge at night?

Re: back to work-express?!

Sorry, didn't mean to imply that if you wait longer than 6 weeks baby will never take the bottle! But yes, I think you can go ahead and introduce the bottle at this point. There are plenty of mamas who pump in the car, in fact many pump while driving - which may be the ideal for you since you are on the road a lot. You get yourself set up before you start driving, with a nursing cover/poncho over you to cover up. Get the pumping going and then hit the road! And yes, you can put your milk in the cooler bag during the day. Here are the kelly mom guidelines about milk storage:http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/m...e/milkstorage/

Are you visiting doctor's offices? Another pumping option would be to ask if they have a free exam room or office you can pump in. I've always been surprised how accommodating people are once I ask.

Re: back to work-express?!

I've had success building up a freezer stash by pumping after a morning feeding. Usually my baby nurses around 7am, so I will either pump the other breast or pump the milk remaining in the breast he nursed on if my morning engorgement is especially bad. Doing this for several weeks has allowed me to stash a significant amount in the freezer so I don't have to worry about not having enough milk for daycare on days where my supply is less than ideal or when baby is going through a spurt and I haven't yet caught up with my supply.
As for pumping when back to work, I usually pump both breasts after I've fed the baby and before I leave for work. Then I try to pump at least every 3 hours while I am in the office, but no more than 1.5 hours before I head home for the day so I have some milk to nurse the baby when we are together again.
I've pumped in the car, although not while driving. Invest in a hand's free nursing bra (Medela makes a really comfy one) and use a nursing cover and no one will know what's going on.

Re: back to work-express?!

Lots of good advice above on the technical issues of pumping and milk storage. I just want to respond to your fear about baby preferring bottle over you. I think you should (try to) not worry about that too much. If your LO has been successfully BFing for 10 weeks, you probably have a very well established nursing relationship. Of course anything is possible - but I doubt that your baby will get a taste from the bottle and decide he's done with the breast. Babies get sooo much more than just nutrition from breastfeeding. Its not just about the milk and any container will do; just the opposite, your baby will probably enjoy nursing even more as a way to reconnect with you when the workday is over. That has been my experience at least -- bottles at daycare are just for eating and my LO is all business about it ... but at home, nursing is for eating, cuddles, talking, playtime with mommy, etc. Good luck and enjoy these last weeks of your maternity leave!